[OPINION] IS INDECENT DRESSING THE MAIN CAUSE OF RAPE?

There has been an increase in reports of rape: I don’t
know if there is an increase because there actually is or it is that we are
aware lately due to the world becoming a global village i.e technology and
social media.

Regardless, rape is horrible, traumatising anddehumanising! I don’t know why a sane
mind would actually do such a terrible thing! I pray no one goes through it!

There are different causes of rape, many factors come
into play. Man rape women and in some rare, bizarre cases, women rape men. You
didn’t know? Sometimes people are raped by people they trust… other times it is
a random attack. It is important that we all educate and find a way to protect
ourselves from these situations. There are some situations beyond control and
there are some that could have been avoided.Tweet

I once heard the story of a girl that jumped over a 4-storey
building because a guy wanted to rape her. She went to visit her “toaster”, she
spent the night and he tried to rape her. Granted the guy is at fault, however, she also put herself in an enabling environment for him. Be sharp! He said "na wetin she tink say go happen when she kon sleep over? I resemble her papa?

I also agree that indecent dressing plays a role, still, it does not

justify rape! What is wrong, is wrong!

NOI Polls revealed:

“In order to commemorate this event and honor the girl
child this special day, NOI Polls Limited released one of the polls we
conducted in the first quarter of the year 2013, which was focused on the
challenges faced by the girl child in Nigeria and indeed the world over as a
result of the incidence of rape among women in the society"

The polls:

34% Indecent Dressing

18% Unemployment

9% Lack of moral values

9% Inability to control sexual urges

7% Faulty Upbringing

5% Illitracy about women’s rights, ungodliness and
bad company.

Do you agree with these results?

The NOI Polls is an opinion polling and research organisation, established by and named after the current Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Yesterday the results from its poll carried out in January 2013 was released in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child.

29 comments

Anyone that believes rape is caused by indecent dressing honestly needs to be checked. Because a lady is walking down the street and dressed in what you as an individual marks as indecent does not take away her fundamental human right and give you permission to rape her. Learn self control.

do NOT use that as an excuse. it is wrong, it is wrong... what do mean a factor? thats why we have a brain. so you are telling me you will rape a girl because she is wearing a short skirt? are you serious? there is no justifiable reason for molesting anyone in such a way, naked or not. Explode what? thats why we have self control, thats why we have a brain... THAT IS WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO SEPARATE US FROM HUMANS... if not go and live in the jungle so all will know you are an animal. And thats the truth

It is not even a factor! A woman has rights just like a man! Men walk up in down with nothing but boxer shorts on and most women would not go raping them. Even if a lady is stack NAKED walking down the streets, she still has a right to her body regardless of whatever African mentality you might have. NOBODY for any reason has the right to rape anyone, whether it be there dressing or not. Be a gentle man or a lady and learn to control your hormones.

I am disgusted by this poll! 34% because of indecent dressing should NEVER be the reason to get raped! . If a girl decides to be half naked on the streets shes not inviting rapists! that is just disgusting! are guys animals ?? so just because I see candy/money which is not supervised i should take it because its just sitting there ? very wrong!

I agree with you and olodundudu. Indecent dressing is definitely a factor and there are a bunch of other factiors. For example, putting oneself in an enabling environment; like your gist about the chick visiting her toaster and spending a night, no even make sense at all. As in how do you do that and expect the guy to just dress one corner make you lie down. Abeg body no be forewood. However, it does not justify the guy's actions for wanting to enter without consent. That guy was lacking self control and the girl sort of enabled his intentions. There are a variety of cases sha, cousins, uncles raping family members and aunties raping little boys; the list goes on. Nevertheless, rape needs 0% tolerance in naija.

Rubbish! Utter total rubbish!!Shebi dem go sleep with goat too if goat dress fine and look good?There is something called self control! We knw men move by sight but it was u urself dat forced her down,opened ur fly and forcefully penetrated her with your own hand and not her dress.you!! So dis indecent dressing reason shud stop! 34percent attributed 2dis just goes 2show how silly pple's thinking are.And we know girls shud be sensible but if a girl is naïve and spends d nyt in ur house,dat doesn't mean dat she wants u to force her down in d night and rape her! For christ sakes,only a monster will do that.I hope they will excuse d monster dat rapes their wife or sister wen they spend a night in d house of a male friend if need be.We shud stop excusing dis crime.its degradation of d highest order of a person's body.let it stop.d psychological and physical effects are devastating.Btw,yes men can be raped but d nigerian law doesn't provide for this and if u ask me,its a bit hard 2prove given d technicalities involved.it should be looked into though..

honey, it is NOT about female parts. Its is about what is right and wrong, not only as what is thought in the bible AND the Koran, but even your conscience knows it is wrong. Nigerian men do this a lot, there is NOT justifiable reason for it and you should be as upset. What if it was your wife/daughter/girlfriend that got raped? How would you feel? Or better yet, what is it was YOU who got raped? Please be an agent of change and educate yourself..mchewww

There is no reason good enough, indecent dressing, sleeping in your toasters house, etc. Anyone .without self-control will and can do anything to satisfy their sexual urge. http://supercurvyme.blogspot.co.uk/

Even i if i were to go to the middle of the village square, butt-naked, spread-eagle and handcuffed to a bedpost does not mean you now can come and rape me (or grope me, or take my pic to share all over the internet, etc). Ppl should park well with this "you put yourself in that situation, indecent dressing is a factor, etc" BS

Even illiteracy about women's rights sef? You need to have a BA in Women's Studies to know its not okay to force yourself on someone now?!? Please. All these excuses. SMH

Sisi Yemmie, again you come with a very thought provoking piece which most women relate to and in this case fear and re made to feel ashamed about. I just read an article about this in Egypt which has been forever known as a very conservative muslim country with their women either choosing to wear the hijab of not. But if you are a man harassing of even toasting a girl in public, the Egyptian men could rise up against you and beat the hell out of you (which, i believe, is the way it should be). But with the present uprising that we have been seeing all over the news, the incidents of rape has increased in great folds. The women cannot even dare to walk alone in their famous tahir square for fear of being harassed or raped. The funny thing is that it WAS the more conservatively dressed women that were being attacked more. Yes! Because the men who partake in raping women are cowards and morally lose individuals. They chase the weak and leave the women who will fight them back tooth and nail or they gang up on her, strip her and rape her. So, NO..... I even disagree with the 34% that these people are claiming on their polls sef. This kind of thing is on the increase because our country is NOT stable. The women have no jobs and the men have too much time to spend on evil activities.... As we have heard, an idle man is the devil's workshop. We as women have to educate and train our boys to respect women and see such activities as inexplicable WRONG... We have a part to play in the fixing of such horrible social injustice. And, that is my rant of the day..lol.. enjoy your week ;)

Women should have as much rights as men !!! We have cases of women that are very well covered but still get raped....Because a woman dresses half naked doesn't mean she is begging to be raped just like when a married woman speak against her husband doesn't men she deserves to be beaten ! #3rdworldproblems

This is a bunch of bollocks! Who determines who's dressed decently or indecently, first of all? What's decent in one country might be indecent in another. And even at that, all human beings have brains and consciences, and have the ability to make decisions. Anybody who rapes someone else made the decision OF THEIR OWN VOLITION!!!

The Poll seeks to bring to light the perception of Nigerians about this issue; it definitely does not mean NOI Polls agree with this stance as many people here seem to believe. You see the reason why many women do not report rape is because our society has the wrong opinions about it; it's always the woman's fault, never the man. Therefore even as a victim, you don't want to speak out because of the stigma and shame even though you were forced into the act. Rape is an issue in Nigeria and we have to continue to speak up about it so current laws become tightened and enforced. Also, the stigma associated with it is just plain crazy... we should embrace these women instead of blaming them for things that were under their control. Blaming women for indecent dressing shows this is the mindset for the majority of us whether we like it or not.

It's a big shame people actually think indecent dressing is the main cause of rape. What of 8 year olds that are raped? Oh i guess they were dressed "indecently too. I believe lack of moral, lack of self control and wickedness are the major causes of rape.

why an exposure of that which is normally covered, right from the biblical teachings. And any man will tell you that indecency, which was designed to promote lust, does do just that. The breasts are referred to in the context of a husband's faithfulness to his wife, “Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love" (Proverbs 5:19). The exposure of the breast is envisaged as only legitimate between husband and wife, otherwise they are to be covered in the presence of men. We may safely conclude that a woman’s body from the breast to the thighs is intended under all normal circumstances to be completely covered in the presence of men except for her husband if she is married. So the breasts, the midriff, the thighs are not meant for general exposure.So what do you think is the reason behind this teachings from the bible?